Leaders meeting in Warsaw for a NATO summit this week will be surrounded by the ghosts of Communism as they endorse the defence alliance’s biggest military buildup since the Cold War in response to a newly resurgent Russia.

EU divisions were apparent on the eve of the NATO summit in Bucharest on 2-4 April with several heavyweights, including France, opposed to the planned Eastern expansion of the military alliance. EurActiv Romania contributed to this report from Bucharest.

“We do see their future with NATO, but there’s more work to be done,” she admitted.

David Bakradze, Georgia’s Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, told AFP that the visit will take ties with the US “to a qualitatively new level” and help to bolster Georgian security and economic and democratic development.

Occupied Crimea

Since a brief war in 2008, Russian troops have tightened their grip over the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, putting them 20 minutes drive from the vulnerable capital.

Ahead of a NATO foreign ministers gathering in Brussels today (19 August), major differences have emerged regarding positions among EU countries over how to deal with Russia over the Georgia crisis. While most of the eastern EU members want a tougher stance on Moscow, France and Germany appear to be more wary of harming ties with Russia.

The German and Austrian foreign ministers said that EU sanctions on Russia should be gradually phased out as the peace process progresses, abandoning previous positions that sanctions could be lifted only if the Minsk peace plan is fully implemented.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will try to narrow the gap between the two sides against the backdrop of the numerous challenges both leaders face.